I Bleed Blue and White

Well, after another loss where the weaknesses stuck out like a sore thumb again, there is definitely a panic inside the Villanova camp.  Jay Wright might not admit it, the players might not admit it, fans might not admit it, but this team is spiraling downward at a rapid rate.  I’m not going to solely focus on yesterday’s debacle against the Mountaineers, because the problems of this team have been glaring for the last month or so.  I’m obviously not an expert, but I feel the need to call out some people, so take a look below.

In no particular order:

1.  Jay Wright-The man who has turned this program around is starting to bother me a little.  Without a doubt, the officiating has been extremely bad this year, but every time I look over, Jay is complaining about something to the referees.  At some point, the attention of the man in charge has to turn to his own players.  Instead of berating the refs for the full 40 minutes, even though they usually deserve it, Wright needs to start actually teaching and making adjustments during the game.  Second, the rotation has to be cut down to a set 8 or 9, unless dire circumstances warrant otherwise.  Playing 11 guys in the postseason is not going to work in my opinion.  Nobody can get into the flow of the game, and furthermore, most of the players never know how much they are going to play each game.  This may seem like good motivation, especially for the young guys, but I think it’s starting to mess with the chemistry of the squad.  One last thing–stop getting technicals Jay.  He must have around 8 T’s this season, which is not ok. 

2.  Maurice Sutton-Plain and simple, he should not be on the floor for meaningful minutes, unless there is extreme foul trouble.

3.  Maalik Wayns-The excuse may be that he’s only a freshman, but his reckless play is an issue now.  Sure, we saw flashes of brilliance early in the season, and there’s no doubt he has the potential to be a star on the Main Line, but other teams are figuring the youngster out.  They know he will force just about any shot and is prone to turnovers.  Thus, opponents are more than happy to let him make one spectactular play, which will usually be coupled with multiple turnovers and errant shots.  We need him to create, but turning the ball over every other possession doesn’t cut it.

4.  Taylor King-There are far more serious concerns with King than on the basketball court.  I heard from a friend that King has been suspended for academic reasons, but this may just be a cover up, as he might have got caught smoking weed.  Again, this is not confirmed, so don’t hold me to it.  On the hardwood, it’s all in King’s head in terms of his offense.  His shot is obviously not falling, and it’s screwing up his psyche.  If he gets the chance to play again this season, I still think he can be a valuable asset with his rebounding and defense, both of which have been surprisingly stellar this season for a team that has not done well in these categories.  

5.  Reggie Redding-The senior was never an offensive star in college, but he hasn’t produced at all when the Cats have the ball.  He can take it to the hole, we have all seen it before, but not so much this year.  I’m not asking Redding to light up the scoreboard, but at least look like you’re a part of the offense and create something for your teammates every once in awhile.

6.  Corey Stokes and Antonio Pena-Lumping these two together stems from their lack of consistency.  Both are extremely talented players with the ability to take over games singlehandedly, but they never seem to put back-to-back solid games together or even a full 40 minutes.  For example, Stokes will hit a couple of trey balls early on in a game, but then he disappears for long stretches.  Pena looks dominant one game and then comes up with a dud the next.  Stokes probably deserves to be called out more than Pena, but if Villanova is going to get back on track, these two will be need to be vital cogs.

7.  Fans in attendance-This includes myself.  Each of the games I’ve been to seemed to have a noticeable lack of energy in the building compared to years past.  Obviously, there’s a pass for yesterday’s game with the students still on Spring Break, but passionate fans really can energize a team.  Now is not the time to desert this team, rather their struggles should motivate us even more to maybe make a difference in propelling the Cats back into form.

Some may think I’m being too harsh or just flat out wrong, but this is just how I see it right now.  One person/one issue is not the sole reason for the lackluster performances recently, but when all of the problems are combined, the Cats do not play like we expect them to play.  At this very moment, my optimism is dwindling, but I still have hope that this team can turn it around and make a run over the next few weeks.  One thing is for sure: we will definitely find out what these group of Wildcats are made of in the very near future. 

I’ll end this post on a positive note by mentioning the Wildcats who earned 2010 Big East Honors.

Scottie Reynolds-First Team

Corey Fisher-Third Team

Maalik Wayns-All Rookie Team

Note: I’m going to be doing my postgame reports a little different this year. More reactions and opinions, less reporting.

My excitement could hardly be contained all day as I sat in my office. And this was all knowing that I wouldn’t be able to watch the first half of the game. Hey, Villanova basketball is back. A light goes on in me. I didn’t think anything could get me down. This, of course, proved to be untrue.

Taylor King impressed in his debut.

I arrived at Grand Central Station ready to catch the 6:29 train when I discover that the train hasn’t even arrived yet, with just 10 minutes until it’s scheduled departure. Finally, at 6:30, it arrives and I hustle on board. The conductor tells everyone to get off, saying the police need to search the train. Fabulous.

After a quick search (seriously, if you are going to search the train with SWAT, be thorough) we depart and I settle in. Around 6:55 I have an epiphany that I can listen to the game on my phone by downloading a radio application. I do this, and tune into 950-AM in Philadelphia, the station that usually broadcasts ‘Nova games. To my dismay, some asshole is talking about Donovan McNabb sucks and he wishes he would just quit. Now, maybe the game wasn’t on the radio, but I was 99% positive that it was, and this really set me off.

So now with just seconds until the tip, I try to load ESPN’s GameCast onto my Blackberry. “Data Not Available.” As 10-12 people around me at the time can attest, this caused an audible curse and a slammed fist into the back of the seat in front of me. I mean, really? I follow football and basketball games all the time on my phone, and never have a problem. Then again, it was Friday the 13th, and something was bound to go wrong.

So as a last resort, I finally load up my Twitter account and begin to follow the game thanks to brianisawesome, dgoneil1, and VillanovaBBall. Many thanks to all 3 of you, who legitimately kept me informed about the 1st half.

But oh no, from there the trouble wasn’t over. I finally get home with the 2nd half about to start and begin to get the backdoor feed going on my computer. Now, keep in mind this is a new computer that doesn’t have all my necessary add-ons installed yet. So I need to install Microsoft Silverlight to watch the game. Fine, this will take 20 seconds. But oh no, the file is corrupt! I have no idea what this means. And I was very angry for hours as I watched updates on ESPN’s bottom-line. As I said, ‘Nova basketball turns a switch on.

So I didn’t get to see any of the game. Until RFC brilliantly uploaded the highlights just hours after the game. Phenomenal. I really went from a completely angry person to a very euphoric person — all because of highlights. In the end, nothing could spoiler the opener for me, even if I didn’t get to see it. I did get to talk to some people who did see it, and take a few notes from the highlight tape. Here we go:

• Heard from multiple people that Antonio Peña had a crappy game? Really? 9 points and 10 rebounds seems pretty solid to me. FT’s (3-6) continue to be a problem but I think I’ll take a (near) double-double from ‘Tone every night.
• As much as I like hearing that Scottie Reynolds was managing the offense, I like hearing even more that he’s got 2o points or more. Terrible shooting night for the senior and I’m sure he’ll rebound nicely soon, but I don’t want to see too many of these games this year.
• Corey Stokes! Looks like he’s taken a big leap forwards in terms of leadership, defense, and scoring. Yes, the majority of his points were of the long-range variety but that and-1 finish was great and it wasn’t the only time he attempted to get into the lane.
• Taylor King! Heard from a lot of people that he has the best game out of everyone. Enthusiastic, great rebounding, and scoring to boot. That 3 he launched from the corner was one of the quickest releases I’ve ever seen. So smooth. TK looks like he’s going to be big for us this year.
• Corey Fisher looks like he’s in better shape (again) and legitimately looks like a guy who will challenge for 1st-team All-BIG EAST. He just looks so much more confident than he already was.
• Dominic Cheek just looks like a basketball player. Super smooth. Mouphtaou Yarou looked better than I expected, and at the same time I was a little disappointed. Can’t decide. Maalik Wayns doesn’t look like a freshman, nor play like one. He’s the real deal. Hopefully I’ll get to see some Isaiah Armwood next game. Love that he played. Don’t redshirt him!
• Maurice Sutton may be ready to contribute sooner than we thought.
• Seriously, Reggie Redding isn’t back yet. How friggan deep are we?

All in all, I just loved seeing the first game. It’s a joy to finally have ‘Nova basketball back. I’m excited for the year and ready for the ride!

Disclaimer: I was not able to attend or view/listen to this game. All of what follows are opinions of various people that I talked, texted, or followed on Twitter. This is more of a general recap.

From the sound of things, it appears that Villanova fans got a mix of good and bad last night in watching the team defeat Kutztown 110-84 at The Wachovia Center. I’m going to run down a list of what I heard from last night:

The Good:

• Scottie Reynolds – Looked exactly how you thought he would, and maybe even better. Looks leaner and quicker and primed for a real All-American campaign. Had 27 points and 4 assists in 29 minutes of action.
• Corey Fisher – Looks even stronger than last year. His body continues to be redefined from the kid who showed up out of shape as a freshman. Hit a few nice mid-range jumpers after he pulled up in the lane. 18 points and 5 assists for Fisher-Price.
• Corey Stokes – Really aggressive on defense, improved ball skills which allowed him to take his man to the goal and/or pull up and knock down a jumper. Still a lights out shooter.
• Team Shooting – 60% from the field and 63% from downtown. Quite frankly, as one person put it – “we can shoot the f*ckin ball real good.”
• Taylor King – 4-4 from beyond the arc. Played with a lot of passion. Really lost a lot of weight and looks to be in much better shape, although he is definitely a tweener. Looked better defending the post than he did defending out on the arc. From all signs though, he won’t be a defensive liability like some thought and looks like he can help defend inside.
• Antonio Peña – Really improved offensive game. Hit a few nice baby hooks and even knocked down some mid-range jumpers. He isn’t Dante Cunningham (yet), but from all accounts he was one of the stronger players on the court.
• Maalik Wayns - More than one person said he was by far the most impressive of the freshman. Knocked down a 3 for his first career basket and was in the face of people all night. Played with a lot of heart. Him, Reynolds and Fisher sound like they are going to terrorize teams. Sounds like he’ll be a fan favorite.
• Mouphtaou Yarou – Picked up a lot of soft fouls, but was aggressive on offense, which is good to hear. Can’t have him shying away.

The Bad:

• Defense – Apparently, there was very little of it. We expected to have a dropoff with the personnel we lost, but apparently Jay Wright was going absolutely wild at a few points during the game. Not good. One person tweeted “we play defense like a mid-level ACC team.” Ouch.

The Puzzling:

• Dominic Cheek – Only 14 minutes of action for the true frosh. Heard he has the skills and the desire, but lacks the strength. Still, thought he would get more action with Redding out. King appears to be ahead of him by a good amount. This doesn’t look good for my predictions on him.
• Maurice Sutton – Just 4 minutes of playing time for the big man. For a team that has an unknown frontcourt, you’d figure he’d get a little more run in an exhibition game. Oh well. Think we all need to temper our expectations on him this year.

At the end of the day, the team did what they were supposed to do. They blew out Kutztown, who never really had a chance. The defense is a huge concern to me personally, because that is what the backbone of Villanova teams usually is. But you’ve got the offense. From all accounts it could be one of the best in the country if they can get consistent production out of the frontcourt.

Via ZagsBlog, Jay Wright took some time to speak about the scheme he plans to run this upcoming season while at the Garden State Coaches Clinic, and from what he’s said, the team might inspire some memories of teh 2005-2006 team that put Villanova back in the national spotlight.

“When Reggie Redding comes back [from suspension], that gives us an option of really having four experienced guards on the floor,” Wright said at the Garden State Coaches Clinic.

“If our bigs are good enough, Antonio Pena and Mouph [Yarou] and Maurice Sutton, if they can play with those four [older guards], it would be nice,” Wright said. “I think we have some good options with [Duke transfer] Taylor King and Isaiah Armwood [in the frontcourt].

Wright indicated that his optimal 4-out-1-in offense would comprise of Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, Redding and Corey Stokes. Even with that much talent on the court, the depth of the bench is startling to think about.

…I just played out that scenario in my mind…awesome…I loved watching the 4 guard offense (though it has its disadvantages) in 2005 with Foye, Ray, Lowry and Nardi…but I think this year, where we lack a proven frontcourt, it could be absolute hell for opponents in spurts…

There are going to be many noticeable differences between last year’s Final Four team and the 2009-2010 Villanova Wildcats.  One of the main things I continue to think about is the change in leadership.  Of course, there’s the captains, Scottie Reynolds and Reggie Redding, who know what it takes to win night in and night out.  I have no doubt they will be good leaders, but Redding can’t play until mid-December, so who knows how that will affect his ability to lead the team?  He’s already set a bad example for the younger players, with his suspension stemming from possession of marijuana charges.  Scottie can lead, but he doesn’t seem like the most vocal.  As a result, his leadership comes from the plays he makes, physically showing his teammates how to do certain things.  Nothing wrong with that, but we can’t underestimate how important the leadership of the 4 seniors from last year’s team. 

In essence, I truly believe someone needs to step into the spotlight and contribute to guiding this team.  Personally, I think this someone should be Antonio Pena.  The big guy has lots of potential, which we’ve seen at times, but more consistency from Pena will be crucial.  He’s been in big games, gone up against the best players in the country, but now it’s time for him to take over.  There are no returning big men on this team (who have seen meaningful action), except for Antonio.

As a result, he needs to guide forwards Taylor King, Maurice Sutton, and freshman Mouphtaou Yarou.  They haven’t experienced Big East basketball like Pena has, which means someone needs to teach them.  The coaches can give it a shot, but it becomes much more surreal when it comes from a player who has been through it.  The natural leaders are going to be Reynolds and Redding, both guards, but the team needs at least one more leader, preferably a big guy.  I know the recent ‘Nova Notebook’ by Mike Sheridan focuses on Big ‘Tone playing a bigger role this year, but there’s a difference between saying it and actually doing it.  If he does it, his ability and guidance of the younger players could be a key cog in Villanova’s success this year.

Do you think Pena needs to step up this year?

Checking in with our counterparts this morning, there was some pretty interesting stuff going on at VUHoops and Villanova By The Numbers.

We’ll start off with the number-crunching greyCat, who sometimes can make my head hurt with such in-depth analaysis, but his latest article covering 10 rising juniors in the Big East is a must-read. The article covers 1o guys who are ‘laying in the weeds’ so to speak, instead of some more high profile players. To give you an idea, it talks about guys like Mac Koshwal, Rick Jackson, Jimmy Butler, and Marshon Brooks. Not guys who have seen their name on a couple All-Big East lists, but guys who have a good impact on the game nonetheless.

greyCat also took a look at 9 rising seniors to watch (a little more notable list) as well as a quick look around of the A-10 for the upcoming year, a conference that yields several of our opponents.

The guys at VUHoops have been very active during the summer recess, running multiple series as well as keeping up with the general Villanova news.

We’ll start with their ‘Wisdom of Crowds’ experiment in which they have been polling their readership to determine what the fans’ feelings are about each player’s upcoming season, and the amount of minutes they will play. They’ve already covered Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, Reggie Redding, Maalik Wayns, Corey Stokes, Dominic Cheek and Taylor King. Voting for Antonio Pena is ongoing. Make sure you head over there and participate.

They have also been running a Meet The New Wildcats series which gives fans a little introduction to the 4 newest Wildcats, as well as redshirt freshman Maurice Sutton and transfer Taylor King.

ZagsBlog has an update on Jarrid Famous, and the Junior College prospect looks to be making his college choice soon. Famous has a trip to Xavier lined up for the weekend of April 10th, and is almost positive that will be his last visit before making a decision.

While he has taken an unofficial visit to Villanova, it is hard to envision him committing to the Wildcats.

…Don’t get me wrong, Famous is a serious talent and could really help Villanova next year as they are losing 3 frontcourt guys in Cunningham, Clark and Anderson but Villanova has essentially 6 new players coming in if you include Taylor King and Maurice Sutton, so having Famous as a 7th is extremely doubtful…with this we’re officially removing Famous from the recruiting watch list…